{"id":29738,"date":"2026-06-02T10:03:20","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T17:03:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vilni-media.com\/?p=29738"},"modified":"2026-06-02T12:16:45","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T19:16:45","slug":"vid-dzvinkiv-vybortsiv-do-holosuvannia-v-konhresi-iak-u-palati-predstavnykiv-zbyraly-pidpysy-dlia-ukraine-support-act","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vilni-media.com\/en\/2026\/06\/02\/vid-dzvinkiv-vybortsiv-do-holosuvannia-v-konhresi-iak-u-palati-predstavnykiv-zbyraly-pidpysy-dlia-ukraine-support-act\/","title":{"rendered":"From Constituents\u2019 Calls to a Congressional Vote: How Lawmakers Collected Signatures for the Ukraine Support Act"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\"\"<\/p>

The House is set to vote as early as June on the Ukraine Support Act, H.R. 2913, after supporters of the legislation have successfully used a rarely invoked procedural maneuver known as a discharge petition to force the bill onto the House floor. The process allows lawmakers to force a vote on legislation that has been stalled or blocked by committee chairs, who wouldn't markup the bill, or the House speaker who refuses to bring up for a vote a bill that has already passed committee. To succeed, the petition required signatures from a majority of House members \u2014 in this case, 218 lawmakers. The final and decisive signature came May 13 from Rep. Kevin Kiley, officially completing the procedure and clearing the way for a House floor vote.<\/span><\/p>

The bill, which combines sanctions against Russia with provisions supporting Ukraine, had remained blocked in House committees for months without advancing to a vote. Lawmakers then turned to the discharge petition process to force action on the measure.\nThe Ukraine Support Act would become the first major Russia sanctions package to receive a vote in the current Congress.<\/span><\/p>

The effort to secure the necessary signatures involved months of work by Ukrainian advocacy groups and activists, who met with lawmakers and congressional staff, organized calls from constituents and pushed members to support the petition.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

What the Discharge Petition\u2019s Success Means<\/b><\/h3>

A discharge petition is typically used when House leadership or committee chairs effectively block a bill from advancing. Under normal procedure, legislation must first move through relevant committees before House leadership decides whether to bring it to the floor for a vote. But when a bill remains stalled for months, lawmakers can bypass leadership through a discharge petition. That is what happened with the Ukraine Support Act.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cAfter months, the Ukraine Support Act was still not marked up by committees, which means that it cannot advance for a floor vote,\u201d said Eugene Goncharov, Policy Lead at the American Coalition for Ukraine. \u201cA discharge petition is a way around this.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

\"\"
Photo Eugene Goncharov, Policy Lead at the American Coalition for Ukraine<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Goncharov said the discharge petition ultimately became the only viable path for supporters trying to move the Russia sanctions package out of congressional deadlock.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cThe discharge petition has now enabled the bill to go for a floor vote, which is incredibly important because this bill is a comprehensive bill of sanctions against Russia and aid for Ukraine,\u201d Goncharov said.<\/span><\/p>

What the Ukraine Support Act Would Mean for Ukraine and Sanctions on Russia<\/b><\/p>

The Ukraine Support Act is a sweeping legislative package that combines expanded U.S. support for Ukraine with new economic sanctions targeting Russia.<\/span><\/p>

The bill includes provisions:<\/span><\/p>